Stamp dispenser

ABSTRACT

A novel stamp dispenser particularly adapted for use with postage stamps. The stamp dispenser is structured such that, after being placed on top an envelope and with a single downward hand motion of the user, the envelope is wetted with a water spray, a stamp is ejected from the mechanism and sheared from a supply roll inside the mechanism, and the stamp is pressed into place on the wetted area of the envelope. A primary handle adapted to telescope over a housing serves to eject the stamp, to shear it from the supply roll, and to press it onto the envelope, and a secondary handle adapted to telescope into the primary handle serves to actuate a pump that ejects the water spray. In sequence, the secondary handle is telescoped into the primary handle and the primary handle is then telescoped over the housing to carry out the functions of the stamp dispenser in response to the single downward hand motion of the user.

3,764,439 G. K. ROME Oct' 9, 1973 STAMP DISPENSER -Sheet l 2 Sheets Filed Oct.

1 1 l l l l l n f l ,l

l l l//l/ INVENTOR.

G. K. ROME: 3,764,439

STAMP DISPENSER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent O 7 U.S. Cl. 156-442 2 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A novel stamp dispenser particularly adapted for use with postage stamps. The stamp dispenser is structured such that, after being placed on top an envelope and With a single downward hand motion of the user, the envelope is wetted with a water spray, a stamp is ejected from the mechanism and sheared from a supply roll inside the mechanism, and the stamp is pressed into place on the wetted area of the envelope. A primary handle adapted to telescope over a housing serves to eject the stamp, to shear it from the supply roll, and to press it onto the envelope, and a secondary handle adapted to telescope into the primary handle serves to actuate a pump that ejects the water spray. In sequence, the secondary handle is telescoped into the primary handle and the primary handle is then telescoped over the housing to carry out the functions of the stamp dispenser in response to the single downward hand motion of the user.

This invention relates to a novel stamp dispenser.

,Stamp dispensers are not new t0 the art. Various structures by means of which stamps are dispensed and applied to substrates such as, for example, envelopes, have been known to the art for many years. That is, stamp dispensers are known to the prior art which make use of a stamp roll to allow the placing of one or two or more postage stamps of a given frankage rate on a single envelope, and then on a subsequent envelope, and so forth, thereby providing efiicient and quick franking of the envelopes. However, by and large such prior art structures are relatively complex of construction and are mainly directed to heavy industrial users. Such prior art structures are not particularly adapted to movement from place to place within a room or oiiice as may be desired, the structures being relatively heavy primarily because they all employ a base or platform upon which the envelope is positioned before being stamped. Further, such prior art structures are all adapted to rest on a table during use, the envelopes being presented one at a time within jaws of the prior art structure, instead of the prior art structure being moved by hand from envelope to envelope as required.

It has been a major objective of this invention to provide a stamp dispenser which is light in weight, which is easy and fool proof and simple to operate, and which is of relatively simple construction to allow economy in manufacture.

Further, it has been another major objective of this invention to provide a stamp dispenser which does not require a base or platen, i.e., which does not require a pair of jaws, to support the envelope as a stamp is being applied, and which is operated much in the same manner as the old-fashioned hand stamp-ink pad, i.e., which applies a stamp through use of a single downward hand motion of a user while the user retains a gripon the mechanism.

In accord with these objectives, this invention provides a stamp dispenser which is structured such that, after being placed on top an envelope and with a single down ward hand motion of the user, the envelope is wetted with a water spray, the stamp is ejected from the mechanism and sheared from a supply roll inside the mechanism, and the stamp is pressed into place on the wetted area of the envelope. A primary handle adapted to telescope over a Patented Oct. 9, 1973 ICC housing serves to eject the stamp, to shear it from the supply roll, and to press it onto the envelope, and a secondary handle adapted to telescope into the primary handle serves to actuate a pump that ejects the water spray. In sequence, the secondary handle is then telescoped over the housing to carry out the functions of the stamp dispenser in response to the single downward hand motion of the user.

Other objectives and advantages of the invention will be more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the stamp dispenser of this invention on an envelope preparatory to placing a stamp on that envelope;

FIG. 2 is a View similar to FIG. 1 showing a spray of water being ejected on the envelope through depression of a secondary handle;

PIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing a stamp being ejected through depression of a primary handle;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 3 showing the stamp being pressed into contact with the envelope through further depression of the primary handle;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view similar to FIG. l but showing the underside of the stamp dispenser;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken through the longitudinal centerplane of the stamp dispenser when the dispenser is in that operational attitude illustrated in FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 6 but taken when the dispenser is in that operational attitude illustrated in FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 8-8 of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 9--9 of FIG. 7.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1-7, the stamp dispenser of this invention basically includes a main housing 10, a primary handle 11 pivotally attached at one end of the housing by pin 12, and a secondary handle 13 pivotally attached to the top of the primary handle by pin 14. The primary handle 11 is adapted to telescope over the main housing 10 as it pivots about pin 12, and the secondary handle 13 is adapted to telescope into the primary handle as it pivots about pin 14 (see FIGS. 4 and 7).

The main housing 10 includes storage chamber 22 for a roll 23 of stamps 17 and a chamber 24 for ejection apparatus 2S. The lead strip 26 in the stamp roll 23 is threaded along the lloor of the ejection apparatus chamber 24 and out slot 27 in the stamp ejection wall 18. The main housing 10 also includes a flat undersurface 15 adapted to rest on the substrate, e.g., envelope 16, when the handles 11, 13 are operated to stamp an envelope 16. The primary handle 11 extends out beyond the stamp primary handle 11 has been telescoped over the main4 housing 10, see FIGS. 4 and 7.

The primary handle 11 also carries actuator ear 31 that operates the stamp ejection apparatus 25 as the primary handle is telescoped over the housing 10, a pump 32 adapted to eject a water spray 20 out of port 33 in the press foot 19, and the secondary handle 13 which telescopes into the primary handle to operate the pump 32 that generates the water spray 20. The primary handle 11 also defines a Water supply chamber 30 above the press foot 19 and within the primary handle, the pump being located inside that chamber 30. The nose wall 34 of the primary handle mounts a porous sponge or wick 35 that faces into the water chamber 30 and that is adapted to dispense Water onto any dry glue surface desred such as, forexample, the sealing ap of an envelope. Note particularly the telescoping action of the primary handle 11 over the housing 10; side walls 37 of the housing serve to cooperate with side walls 38 of the primary handle to allow the pivotal action of the primary handle relative to the main housing (which serves to operate the stamp ejection apparatus 25 and the press foot 19) to be consistent with little wear and tear on pin 12. Such is necessary, of course, so that shearing edge 39 of press foot 19 can cooperate with shearing edge 41 of housing floor 42 time after time to shear successive postage stamps 17 from the lead strip 26 at the end of the primary handles downward stroke, see FIG. 7. Further, note the telescoping action of the secondary handle 13 into the primary handle 11, compare phantom line position to solid line position in FIG. 6; side walls 43 of the secondary handle cooperate with edges 44 of hole 45 cut in the top surface of the primary handle to guide the secondary handle into and out of the primary handle 11.

In connection with the main housing 10, the same is in the nature of an open top, elongated box with the stamp roll chamber 22 at pivot pin 12 end and the ejection apparatus chamber 24 adjacent ejection wall 18, see FIGS. 6 and 7. The stamp roll 23 is received in its chamber by means of a door 46 in the housings oor 42, the door being hinged to the floor as at 47 and being provided with a lock (not shown) that maintains it in closed relation with the housing 10. A middle wall 48 molded into side walls 37 of the main housing 10 separates the stamp roll chamber 22 from the ejection apparatus chamber 24, the middle wall curving into a series of tracks (as at 51) as it approaches the iloor 42. The tracks 51 are separated one from the other, as at gaps 52, and they extend along just above the floor and beneath the ejection apparatus chamber 24. The tracks 51 are molded at one end into middle wall 48 and at the other end into ejection wall 18 to maintain them in the desired spatial relation relative to the floor 42. The lead strip 26 of stamps from the stamp roll 23 is threaded between the oor 42 and the tracks 51, such being made possible by virtue of the guideway 54 dened between the tracks and the iloor since the tracks are elevated slightly above the floor. Of course, the guideway 54 terminates in slot 27 at shearing edge 41 of the oor `42. It will be apparent that the housings side walls 37, ejector wall 18, rear wall 55, oor 42, middle wall 48 and track structure 51 can all be molded integral in one piece.

The ejector apparatus 25, which is located in ejector chamber 24, includes a cam block 56 that presents teeth 57 yadapted to extend through gaps 52 between the tracks 51 and into guideway 54, see FIGS. 7 and 9. The teeth 57 are adapted to engage the transverse perforation lines that separate one stamp 17 from another on the lead strip 26, the end stamp on the lead strip being ejected out slot 27 in ejector wall 18 as the cam block moves from that attitude shown in FIG. 6 (the home position) to that attitude shown in FIG. 7 (the eject position) as will subsequently be explained. The cam block 56 includes a slot 58 in its back 59 that acts as a cam slot. The cam block 56 is continually biased toward the pivot pin 12 and stamp roll chamber 22 of the housing 10 by means of compression spring 61 to that attitude illustrated in FIG. 6. The compression spring 61 is interposed between ejector Wall 18 (locator pin 62 molded into the wall 1S serves to restrain the compression spring in the desired attitude) and is received in pocket 63 in the cam block 56. Stub pins 64 'extend out from each side 65 of the cam block 56, the stub pins riding in slots 66 defined on opposed side walls 37 of the housing 10. The stub pin 64- slot 66 structure helps guide the cam block 56 in its reciprocatory path between that attitude shown in FIG. 6

and that attitude shown in FIG. 7, and also allows the cam block to pivot about the stub pins 64. Further, the cam block 56 mounts a limit pin 67 on at least one side wall 65 thereof, the limit pin being adapted to cooperate with the upper run 68 of the side walls slot 66. Note that the cam blocks limit pin 68 is positioned above the stub pin 64 as viewed in FIGS. 6 and 7, and note that the pocket 63 in the cam block 56 which receives the compression spring 61 is located below the stub pins 64; such presents the cam block 56 with a tendency to pivot in the clockwisedirection as viewed in FIGS. 6 and 7. Thus, the spring 61 serves a dual function when the primary handle 11 is not telescoped over the housing 10, namely, to bias the cam block 56 against the middle wall 48 and to pivot the cam block about pins 64 until stopped by limit in 67 contacting the slots upper rail 68 when the cam block is in the home position, see FIG. 6. Of course, this dual function also occurs when the cam block 56 is released from the eject position shown in FIG. 7 and allowed to return to the home position by virtue of the spring 61 bias; on the return stroke, and because of this dual function, the cam blocks teeth 57 are raised out Of course, this dual function also occurs when the cam return stroke from that attitude shown in FIG. 7 to that attitude shown in FIG. 6, thereby preventing the teeth from pushing the lead strip 26 back toward the stamp roll chamber on the return stroke of cam block 56. When the cam block is biased in the counterclockwise direction by interengagement with actuator ear 31, teeth 57 iixed to the cam block are caused to extend down through the tracks into the runs 54 dened between the tracks 51 and the base plate 42 and, thereby, interengage the transverse perforations which divide one stamp from another in the stamp strip being withdrawn from the stamp roll.

In connection with the primary handle 11, same mounts the cam or actuator ear 31 and the ear is molded integral therewith inside the handle. As mentioned, it is the cooperation of ear 31 with the ejector apparatus 25, and particularly with cam slot 58 in cam block 56, that serves to move lead strip 26 through the guideway 54 and, thereby, eject a stamp from slot 27 as the primary handle 11 telescopes over the housing 10. Such occurs because, as the hollow primary handle 11 begins to pivot about pin 12 (and, thereby begins to telescope over the housing 10) the cam edge 71 of the ear 31 pivots the cam block 56 in a counterclockwise direction about stub pins 64 as viewed in FIGS. 6 and 7, thereby forcing teeth 57 down into the guideway 54. As the primary handle 11 continues to telescope over the housing 10, the cam block 56 is caused to move in an eject stroke from the home position of FIG. 6 to the eject position of FIG. 7 because of the interaction between the ears sloping cam edge 71 and the cam blocks sloping back slot 58. As the cam block 56 moves in its eject stroke, and because the cam blocks teeth have been cammed down into the guideway 54, the teeth interengage a transverse perforation line in the stamp strip 26 and, thereby, eject the outermost stamp 1`7 on the stamp strip. Only one stamp 17 is ejected because the cam blocks dimensional configuration relative to the distance between the middle wall 48 and the eject wall 1'8 is set to regulate the eject stroke of the cam block so that only one stamp is ejected each time the primary handle 11 is telescoped over the housing 10.

The primary handle 11 also defines the press foot 19, as previously mentioned. The press foot 19, and the shear edge or sharp corner 39 at the inner end thereof, cooperate with the sharp edge 41 of lloor 42 at the slot 27 to shear olf the outermost stamp 17 from the lead strip 26 and press it into adhering contact with the envelope when the primary handle 11 is pivoted and telescoped about the main housing 10 as illustrated in FIG. 7. That is, and as will be seen from FIGS. 1-7, the primary handle 11 is telescopable over the housing 10 until the entire housing is within the handle 11 and until the handles press foot 19 is in coplanar relation with the housings floor 42. When in this attitude, i.e., the FIG. 7 attitude, the press foot functions to press the stamp 17 into adhering contact with the wettted area of the envelope 16j.

The primary handle 11 also includes the enclosed water reservior 30 (dened by walls `80, '81, v82, 19, 77) which is located above the press foot 19, as mentioned. The force pump 32 is located in the water chamber 30, and is adapted to eject a water spray out port 33 in press foot 19 onto that envelope area beneath this press foot. The pump 32 includes a piston 72 that is spring 73 loaded away from the press foot 19 and that reciprocates in piston sleeve 74 inside the water chamber 30. A piston rod 75 extends up through collar 76 molded ito chamber wall 77, the piston rod being adapted to engage the underside of the secondary handle 13. Further, and as illustrated in FIG. 8, the sleeve 74 denes an inlet port 78 adapted to cooperate with an open-close pin 79. The pin 79 is located in a ported valve sleeve 84, and is slidable in a dividing wall S5 within that sleeve 84 between a rst position Where it closes port 7S in the piston sleeve 74 (the port 86 then being opened) and a second position where it closes port S6 in valve sleeve 84 (the port 78 then being opened). Slots 87 in the dividiing wall 85 allow water to pass from the surge chamber 88 to the supply chamber 89 for transfer through port 78' to the charge chamber 9() in piston sleeve 74. As piston rod 75 is depressed downward by telescoping of the secondary handle 13 into the primary handle 11, and assuming a charge of water in the charge chamber 90, piston 77. is forced against the compression spring and ejects a spray of Water out port 33 of the press foot 19. As the water spray is ejected out that port 33, open-close pin 79 is forced by water pressure to that attitude illustrated in F IG. 8 to prevent the water in the charge 90, supply y89 and surge 88 chambers from being ejected back into the reservoir chamber 30. On the return stroke, i.e., as the piston 72 returns to its home position as dictated by compression spring '73, open-close pin 79 is Withdrawn to that attitude Where it closes port 718` and opens port 86 to allow water from` the reservoir chamber 30 to enter the surge 88 and supply 39 chamber.

A wick or sponge 35 is mounted in the wall S0 of the nose 34 of the primary handle 11, the sponge being exposed to water in the reservoir chamber 30 so as to allow simple wetting of e.g., the closure Hap on an envelope, as mentioned. The sponge 35 is reecived in a holder 92 that is provided with ports 93 on its base, thereby continuously feeding Water to the sponge as long as water remains in the water chamber 30. The holder is grooved as at 94 to allow it to be snapped into place with the respective edges of a hole dened in the nose 34 of the primary handle 11 thus the wick and holder serve as a removable plug through Which the reservoir 30 is filled.

In use, and as illustrated in FIGS. 1-5, the usual or unactuated attitude of the stamp dispenser of this invention is as illustrated in F IG. 1. Such is used in combination with a substrate, e.g., an envelope, that is supported from its underside by support means not connected with the stamp dispenser, e.g., a table or the like. Prior to use, the secondary handle 13 is raised up out of the plane of the primary handles top surface (i.e., the secondary handle is raised out of fully telescoped relation with the housing) because of the action of compression spring 73 in pump 32, see FIG. 6. The press foot 19 of the primary handle 11 is raised up out of planar relation with the housings oor 42 (i.e., the primary handle is raised out of full telescoped relation with the housing), and cam block 56 is located in its home position, because of the action of compression spring 61, see PIG. 6. Thus, the stamp dispenser is ready to eject a stamp from slot 27 onto envelope 16 in the desired corner of that envelope, and to press that stamp onto a pre-wetted area of the envelope, see FIG. 1. Note particularly that there are no jaws between which an envelope must be inserted.

The palm of a users hand is then placed on top the secondary handle 13, and the secondary handle and primary handle 11 pivoted all in one downward motion until the secondary handle telescopes into the primary handle and until the primary handle telescopes over the housing to that point where the press foot 19 is planar with the housings `iloor. In this overall operation sequence, the secondary handle 13 first pivots relative to the primary handle 11 to eject a spray of water onto the envelope through actuation of pump 32 (see lFlG. 2); the primary handle then pivots relative to the housing 10 to eject the stamp 17 (see FIG. 3), to shear it from the lead strip (see FIG. 7), and to press it onto the envolpes wetted area (see FIG. 4). Such occurs in sequence because the pump spring 73 offers less resistance to pivotal motion of secondary handle 13 than spring 61 offers to pivotal motion of primary handle 11.

As the secondary handle 13 telescopes into the primary handle 11 (compare phantom line position to solid line position as illustrated in FIG. 6), the pumps piston 72 is forced down and this sprays water out port 33 in the press foot onto the envelope 16. As the primary handle 11 telescopes over the housing 10, ear 31 engages the cam block 56 and this causes the cam blocks teeth to engage a transverse perforation line in the stamp strip 26 and causes the cam block to move in an eject stroke toward eject wall 18 (compare FIGS. 6 and 7), all of which moves the stamp strip 26 through the guideway 54 and ejects a stamp 17 out slot 27. As the primary handle 11 approaches its full telescoping position relative to the housing 1t), force plates edge 39 cooperates with oors edge 41 to shear off the stamp 17 from the stamp strip 26 at a perforation line. Further, the press foot 19 then serves to press the stamp 17 onto the area of the envelope wetted by the spray 2t); of course, because the stamp has a dry glue coating on its underside the stamp is, thus, glued to the pre-wetted envelope. Once the stamp has -been applied, the primary 11/secondary 13 handle structure is released and it returns to that attitude illustrated in FIG. l because of the action of pump spring 73 and compression spring 61 as previously explained. The stamp dispenser may then be moved to another envelope and the use repeated.

Having described in detail the preferred embodiment of my invention, what I desire to claim and protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A stamp dispenser adapted to dispense stamps one at a time from a strip of stamps separated one from the other by transverse perforation lines comprising a housing, said housing presenting a `stamp shearing edge and a base adapted to rest on a substrate,

a cam block having feet for delivering one stamp at a time outside said housing and locating a transverse perforation line at the shearing edge of said housing, said feet being adapted to engage successive transverse perforations in said stamp strip as said cam block moves from a home position to an eject position and being adapted to lift out of contact with said stamp strip as said cam block moves from the eject position back to the home position, said cam block moving in a linear path that is parallel to said substrate as it moves between home and eject positions,

a spring interconnected with said cam block,r said spring being loaded in a direction that causes said cam blocks feet to pivot out of interengagement with the stamp strip except when said cam block is in linear motion from home position to eject position, said spring also being adapted to return said cam block to the home position from the eject position,

stub pins `fixed to said cam block about which said cam block is adapted to pivot under loading by said spring, said stub pins riding in rails on each side wall of Isaid housing to guide said cam block in its linear reciprocatory path between home and eject positions,

a primary handle pivotally connected to said housingv at one end thereof and adapted to telescope about that housing between a home position where said housing is substantially exposed outside the primary handle and an eject position where the housing is conned within said primary handle, said primary handle presenting a shearing edge adapted to cooperate with said housings shearing edge so as to shear a stamp from the stamp strip when said housing is telescoped into said primary handle at the eject position, said primary handle and housing lbeing biased to the home position by said spring,

actuator means in the form of lcam ear xed to said primary handle and extended into said housing for cooperative engagement with said cam block, said cam ear being adapted to cam said cam block in a linear path between home and eject positions as said primary handle is telescoped over said housing against the bias of Isaid spring,

press foot xed t said primary handle, said press vfoot being adapted to press a stamp into adhering contact with a substrate after said primary handle has been telescoped over `said housing into the eject position,

water storage chamber carried in said primary handle,

Water dispenser means in the form of a pump located a secondary handle connected to said primary handle 2. A stamp dispenser as set forth in claim 1 including a porous sponge mounted in said primary handle and adapted to be ysupplied with water from said water storage chamber.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,219,511 11/1965 Moser et al. 156-532 674,733 5/1901 Heintz 156-532 1,835,817 12/1931 'Skolnik 156-442 ALFRED L. LEAVITT, Primary Examiner B. I. LEWRIS, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

